Gonsalviz

The BIB won't let them get too well established, too much competition.

highonthai, on 2011-11-19 23:55:28, said:

You say that like it's a bad thing.

I used to drink beer from a funnel when I was younger, does that count for anything?

I rode into Laos across the Friendship Bridge a couple of weeks ago without any problem. The Nong Khai / "Vientiane" Friendship Bridge seems to be ok nowadays, but not the others.
They dont issue ITP for motorbikes anymore. From memory they stopped 2 + years ago.

Not all the roads in Laos are crap, there are some extremely good ones.
At the moment Vientiane - Pha  Tang, (north of Vang Vieng) sucks, as does Oudom Xai -Pak Mong, but a lot of the other asphalt roads are super.

Hope this is a help.

TommoPhysicist, on 2012-05-11 17:06:18, said:

What's a 'Farnag'? Is that when the missus is talking to you from the other room?

So is this the same company talking that raised the prices by 30% (10 to 13 Baht) last year for their Tom Yum Cups?

About the MSG: I think salt is a lot more unhealthy. Salt also acts as a flavour enhancer (also fats do), but you need a much greater amount for it. So I believe substituting a larger quantity of salt with a smaller quantity of MSG is actually less damaging for you health.

Where is MSG actually banned? I never heard of that. I just know western consumers don't like to read it on the label, so it gets substituted with yeast extract, which is essentially the same thing. A lot of stuff that we use to make our meals tasty actually contain quite a bit of natural MSG like tomatoes, Parmesan cheese etc.

I think the potential harmful thing with MSG is that it just makes you more hungry and you tend to eat more. But if you can handle this and don't overeat (Thais really aren't that fat) I don't see the problem. I think there was also a controlled study that has proven that the Chinese restaurant syndrome really doesn't exist, except if the quantity of MSG is extremely large, like on the seafood pizzas from The Pizza Company.

But then again, eat an overdose of salt and you also get symptoms like sweating, feeling sick and headaches.

" Yeah, I'm not eating those Mama Noodles. Full of crap they are. Talk about unhealthy. Anyhow, gotta be going. Macro have got a special on cases of Chang."

Jingthing, on 2012-05-15 17:15:47, said:

Well, you failed.  Settle down brother.  It's just some noodles.

I quite like them.

I'm betting he/she didn't know how to enter the number of GBP into the computer to get a number THB.    Rather, he only knew, or the computer only allows, a number of THB to be keyed and spits out the number of GBP required.    He probably did a couple of quick calculations to get an estimate of 250-260GBP = 13000THB.

pattayadingo, on 2012-05-15 19:57:34, said:

Unhappiness goes hand in hand with poor employment practices. Discrimination based upon physical appearance, age, ethynic origin, religion and sex are the norm in Thailand. Throw in ridiculous working hours and a wage system that is unfair and what would you expect?

sparebox2, on 2012-05-11 11:55:42, said:

No worries,

She's a Thai/Chinese Hi-So, drives a Benz with a private plate so can put on make-up, talk on the phone, wave to the BIB and drink expensive cocktails- without spillage - and all at 180 plus.

sirchai, on 2012-05-11 08:11:27, said:

At least you can still ride your moped while holding an umbrella and phone with your shopping in a basket in front of the headlamp.
Glad they are not cracking down on that !

"The traffic police plan to revise and amend traffic laws that have been in force since 1979,"

Even though  I agree whole heartedly with banning people using mobile phones and watching tv
while driving, I thought it was the government that made, revised, and amended laws, not the police.
The police are there to enforce the laws, so maybe if they concentrated on doing their job instead of
sitting in their little dog boxes or extorting money from people road safety would improve.
I know, I know TIT.

ginjag, on 2012-05-10 17:24:43, said:

Although a lot do not everybody in Isaan lives in shitkicker central. Not everyone lives in a village wandering from house to house of day playing hi-lo and knocking back noi ting in an alcoholic haze.

Maybe the ones who've got f-all to do all day can squat outside their neighbours house and share a Leo or 3. But i was once associated with an Isaan business with close to 500 staff and never once had a termination of a woman through booze. The blokes yes. They might as well have installed a revolving door.
To bastardize your phrase if you don't get about much and live in a village somewhere in the boonies you might be under the impression that the women drink as if they had hollow legs. I went to a wedding in the Roi Et sticks and the bride's sister was unconscious by 8 am on the lao kao as were most of her buddies. Compare that with rush hour in a major Isaan city. Do you think all those bank girls etc going to work have knocked back a gak or 2 to allow themselves to function?

I would imagine that not everybody from Alabama to be a redneck racist cracker. That would be obtuse.  Same as Isaan is not one giant booze as a square meal, maybe get a days work putting up a fence for 100 baht a day, my daughter's employed as an ceiling inspector in Pattaya, Thaksin luvin' baanok village.